As mentioned in my monthly wrap-up post from last month, I have started a new web site that is specific for the house.

The reason for this is that I really want to get in-depth with photos and tricks that I learn about things that I do around the house. I want to leave this web site for family specific things like what the kids are up to etc.

Anyway, the address of the other web site is themastershouse.net.

Also, I have imported the posts about the house from this site to there so that there is a complete line of history. I will still make mention of the house on this web site but will probably link over to the other site for more info.

Enjoy!

Technorati : DYI, Home Improvement, New Web Site, The Master Family, The Masters House, Web Design

We had the walk through today at the house and things went great.

Our Superintended really hustled and got most of the major things done. The only things on the list other then paint touch-ups were -

• Hook up the AC
• Hook up the Gas
• Adjust the back door so the dead bolt locks easier
• Adjust the flow of the hot water in the bathroom
• Install the washer and dryer
• Install the refrigerator
• Install the window blinds

We are scheduled to do our final walk through a week from today and then we get the keys the next day.

Technorati : DR Horton, New Home, New House, Round Rock, Round Rock TX

More has happened on the house over the last couple of weeks.

The outside brick, Kitchen appliances, and carpet mainly. There are probably several things that we would not noticed also.

I guess the biggest change is that we do not get to go into the house whenever we want now. Ever since the carpet was installed the door has been locked (I still go by and peak in the windows though!).

We have our first walk through one week from tomorrow and we are scheduled to get the keys on the May 12th. Needless to say, we are very excited!

Technorati : DR Horton, New Home, New House, Round Rock, Round Rock TX

Elsy, the kids, and I took a drive out to see a wild flower farm that we had seen when driving into Austin when we were moving.

It was a really nice place were they had food, gardening stuff, and a lot of plants for sale.

Mostly though they had a very large field of the Texas Blue Bonnet which is spring up along the road sides all over Texas.

Technorati : Blue Bonnets, Texas Blue Bonnets, The Masters Family

Related Link: Order flowers & other great gifts from mother nature with ProFlowers, your online florist. Send flowers & plants to garden lovers.

There has been a lot of progress in the house over the last 2 weeks.

Last time I had posted they had just completed the texture of the drywall.

Well during the last 2 weeks all of this has been completed -

• Walls Painted
• Base boards, trim, and window sills added
• Kitchen and bathroom cabinets installed
• All faucets and toilets installed
• Bathroom showers, tubs, and tile installed
• Bathroom towel and toilet paper fixtures
• Air conditioning / heater unit installed
• All switched, outlets, and light fixtures
• Kitchen counter and tile back splash
• Floor tile in the Kitchen, closets, entryway, and bathrooms
• Closet and pantry wire shelves
• Outside brick has been started

Wow, that is a long list. I did not even realize how much had been done until adding it here.

Things that still need to be completed are the brick on the outside of the house, actually hooking up the electrical, the carpet, fence around the yard, and landscaping.

The foreman has let us know that our first walk through will be May 2nd and we are expected to have the keys on May 12th.

It is really exciting to see all the progress.

Technorati : DR Horton, New Home, New House, Round Rock, Round Rock TX

Last weekend Elsy, the kids, and Elsy’s parents took a trip to Houston to visit some of Elsy’s family.

On the way there we stopped and took some pictures of Texas’s state flower - the Blue Bonnet.

The Blue Bonnets were all over the place just growing wild on the side of the road. It really reminded me of the Poppies in California.

Speaking of Poppies, I upload a whole bunch of pictures in a new category named “nature”.

This new category has pictures of the Texas Blue Bonnets, California Poppies, Yosemite National Park, and the Northern California Coast.

Most of these pictures were taken some time ago but I just got around to uploading them.

Enjoy!

Technorati : Blue Bonnets, California Coast, California Poppies, Texas Blue Bonnets, Yosemite, Yosemite National Park

Related Link: Texas Auto Insurance Quotes free insurance quotes

I have added a new section to the photos section - Pictures of Round Rock.

The photo here is one of many farms in north Round Rock. This particular one is less then 5 miles from our house.

Now I do not want you to think that we live in the sticks or anything, it’s just we live on the outskirts of town. In fact the land that our house is built on used to be farm land.

I will be taking and uploading more pictures once the weather clears up.

Well there has been a lot of progress on the house over the last week.

In 1 day the house went from studs to being completely drywalled. Within 3 days they completely mudded the walls and textured them.

Our neighbors house which is 1 day ahead of ours is having all the trim put in place so that means that ours should be going in within the next day or so.

Also, they have put all the tile floors in the kitchen, closets, and bathrooms and they have done the tile in the shower in the main bath room.

Finally, we have had the wiring for surround sound installed for ceiling speakers. OK, I have to confess, I snuck in the night before they put the drywall up and ran the wire myself. I did do it myself because -

1. They would not let us do anything custom to the house because of the package and price that we got
2. Even if they would have let me pay someone, why would I want to pay someone hundreds of dollars when it cost me $20 (the cost of the speaker cable)

Anyway, things are cruising along on the house so I looks like we will have it at the beginning of May (before Dan Jr. comes - Yeah!)

I thought that I did not miss anything from California.

I was wrong.

Back in California I would regularly have Chinese food when on my lunch break during the week. During my exploring here is Texas I was unable to find a good Chinese fast food place. It is not that there were several and that they were bad. There just weren’t any.

Until today.

I found a Panda Express in the opposite direction of were I usually go for lunch. I usually am not a big “Oh this food tastes so good” person but… The food tasted so good!

So, there you have it. I think now I can say fully –I do not miss California.

I just uploaded some pictures that I took when I was first in Texas of Lake Travis. Lake Travis is the biggest lake in the Austin area (in Texas also I think) and made by the Colorado River.

These pictures are taken from the north part of the lake in a community known as Lago Vista. This area is only about a half hour from our house.

Last weekend we went to the southern shore of Lake Travis and where able to go into the Mansfield Field Park which has camping, hiking, swimming, day use, and a boat ramp. Elsy and I have decided that we definitely want to get another boat when the kids get older.

Unfortunately I forgot my camera so I do not have any pictures right now. Don’t worry though, that is only the first of many trips to the lake.